1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates generally to tools used on firearms, and more particularly is a tool designed to remove a primer cap that is stuck on the primer nipple of a muzzleloader firearm.
2. Description of the Prior Art
A muzzleloader firearm is loaded by packing powder and shot in the barrel of the gun, and then inserting a primer cap in a primer nipple to enable firing of the weapon. Occasionally the primer cap becomes jammed on the nipple, and must be removed. A hunter in the field however will often not have the proper tools to remove the nipple safely.
A common current emergency tool for cap removal is a knife. The knife blade may however cut the cap into pieces, thereby removing only part of the cap. Worse, the blade may cause injury to the hunter""s hand or fingers. Worse yet, the use of a knife on the cap can cause accidental discharge of the muzzleloader, a very significant safety risk.
Accordingly, it is an object of the present invention to provide a tool that can be easily carried by a hunter in the field.
It is a further object of the present invention to provide a tool that will efficiently remove a stuck cap without damage to the cap or risk of injury to the hunter""s hands or fingers.
The present invention is a tool, a cap popper, designed to remove a primer cap from a muzzleloader. The cap popper comprises a pair of flat blades joined with a hinge. A first end of the cap popper is wedged between the gun nipple and the primer cap. The other ends of the cap popper blades are then squeezed together by the user, forcing the primer cap off the nipple. A cap holder retains the cap in the popper so that it is easily retrieved by the user. A return spring returns the blades to an original closed position after the popper is used to remove the primer cap.
An advantage of the present invention is that it enables the user to safely and easily remove a cap from a firearm nipple.
Another advantage of the present invention is that it is small enough to be conveniently carried in a pocket.
These and other objects and advantages of the present invention will become apparent to those skilled in the art in view of the description of the best presently known mode of carrying out the invention as described herein and as illustrated in the drawings.